When politics become identity: Is polarisation the new normal?

As political identities harden and algorithms amplify division, experts warn that democratic disagreement is increasingly being replaced by mutual delegitimisation. Christophe Lesschaeve, postdoc and political scientist with a master's degree in political science and PhD in political representation, offers the perspective that perhaps one of the reasons behind this polarisation is the fact that nowadays, political opinion is heavily tied to personal identity and the way we see ourselves. Lesschaeve states that what he's personally seen is the "hardening of opinions. I think more opinions are less rooted in argumentation, logic, or evidence and more rooted in identity. Being in favor or in opposition to something is so deeply rooted in your identity that it's hard to let go of that opinion."

As political affiliation becomes inseparable from personal identity, disagreement no longer feels procedural – it feels existential. When losing an election feels like losing oneself, opponents stop being rivals and start being perceived as threats.

So the lines between opinion and the self are blurring, do digital platforms play a role? When asked about whether social media is a tool when it comes to discussing and marketing political perspectives, Cecilia Said Vieira, social media freelancer and co-creative director behind the communication of the déi gréng party, says that for her, "social media is one of the biggest and most important tools that we have right now." She further explains that when it comes to politics, platforms such as TikTok are instrumental in the way we ‘sell', spread, and relate to mindsets. When it comes to the growing polarisation between the left and right ends of the political spectrum, the right has used the strategy of engaging in the online world in a monumental way. "We saw how the far right did it. They just spread misinformation, they speak loudly, they speak the language of the people."